Bexhill school's poor OFSTED report

A BEXHILL school has cited late support from the county council as a reason behind its poor OFSTED report.

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School was found to be 'inadequate' in its overall effectiveness after the results of last month's inspection were released this week.

Achievement and standards at the school were also found to be low.

However the report has recognised some recent signs of improvement.

The school say this is in part due to the help received from December last year by county - but they believe the assistance arrived 17 months too late.

Outside help only came when the school suffered its second successive drop in results in the summer of 2006.

Personal development, teaching and learning, the curriculum, care, guidance and support and leadership were all found to be 'satisfactory' by the inspectors.

Chair of governors Julia Dance said: "It is 6-and-a-half years since OFSTED last inspected our school. At that time the school had just moved into its new, purpose built home, under the leadership of its new headteacher, Mrs Mary Jackson.

"Immediately before this the school had gone through a long period of rapid staff turnover, including three heads in four years, and was struggling to maintain national standards.

"Mrs Jackson led the school through a successful period of recovery and improvement, as recognised in the 2001 OFSTED inspection. However, in her last year as headteacher, the school had to make significant cut-backs in support staff, to comply with government requirements to wipe out the debt, built up during those years of staff turbulence. At the end of that year the school saw an unsurprising fall in its results.

"Our deputy head retired at Christmas 2005 and Mrs Jackson left in the spring of 2006. For 17 months the governors, advised by the local authority and the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, have been unable to fill the post of headteacher. There is indeed a national shortage of candidates for headteacher and deputy posts, with over 1200 schools having such vacancies.

"With no outside help on offer the senior staff agreed to take on the formidable task of moving up into positions for which they had no training and experience. The governors can only express their heartfelt thanks and admiration for this dedication.

"The governors fully expected that a school operating under such circumstances would qualify for extra support from the local authority. We had to learn the hard way that there is no such help. Extra money and support automatically follow the appointment of a new nead, but there is no system of support for an acting head. Also in East Sussex there is no help for a primary school, until it has had a second drop in its results. The phrase 'crisis management' springs to mind."

The school attempted to tackle the falling results by going into debt and taking on another teacher.

Staff are now taking advantage of "high standard" help from county

"Of course we have to pay towards this help and our debt is now depressingly large and growing," said Miss Dance.

The school governors have thanked the partnership of consultant head Angela O' Connor, who has been brought in from Sacred Heart School, and acting head Angela Brennan, for its 'rapid effectiveness' which the OFSTED inspectors recognised.

The inspectors will return in December by which time the school will have had three months under new head Trish Longmire.

Parents will attend a meeting to discuss the issues raised by the OFSTED report on Tuesday.

Miss Dance added: "What a shame the help we needed and asked for had to wait for 17 months and a second drop in our results. This would not have happened in Kent where one drop in a school's results automatically triggers local authority help whether it is asked for or not."